The present invention comprises a new and distinct variety of petunia plant, botanically known as Petunia hybrida, and referred to by the variety name ‘SAKPET098’. Petunia variety ‘SAKPET098’ originated from a hybridization in Kakegawa, Japan in June 2010. The female parent was a proprietary petunia line named ‘9BCR-49a’ (unpatented), and the male parent was a proprietary petunia line named ‘9BCR-27-V2’.
In June 2010, ‘9BCR-49a’ and ‘9BCR-27-V2’ were crossed and 5,000 seeds were obtained. In February 2011, 50 F1 seeds were sown in the greenhouse and 30 plants were cultivated which produced flower colors of violet and white star-pattern, and blue and magenta with mounding and semi-mounding plant habits. In June 2011, 3 plants were selected which had violet star-patterned bi-colored flowers and a semi-mounding plant habit. In July 2011, about 15,000 seeds of the flowers were sown in the greenhouse and 120 plants were cultivated which produced flowers of violet star-patterned bi-colored flowers, rose star-patterned bi-colored flowers, light-magenta and magenta with mounding and semi-mounding plant habits. In March 2013, a single plant line was selected within the F2 and named ‘L2013-041’. ‘L2013-041’ was vegetatively propagated, cultivated, and transplanted to the field for evaluation outdoors. In January 2014, ‘L2013-041’ was vegetatively propagated, cultivated, and evaluated again. The breeder confirmed that ‘L2013-041’ was fixed and stable for traits. From February through March 2015, ‘L2013-041’ was evaluated for day-length neutral flowering response. ‘L2013-041’ was subsequently named ‘SAKPET098’. ‘SAKPET098’ was found to reproduce true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation via vegetative cuttings in Salinas, Calif.